Thursday night, the Canes came to town and the hosting Capitals showed them a bad time by beating them 4-2. Nicklas Bäckström kicked things off with two hugs, Alex Ovechkin joined the party with a powerplay cuddle puddle, and Lars Eller capped things off with an empty-netter nuzzler.

someone by the sinbin got hit with a puck & i'm not sure if tom "i foster puppies" wilson was heading over to help, or if it's just habitual for him now to head to the sinbin whenever anyone gets hurt. 50/50 odds. pic.twitter.com/nvCt6n6X1e

Shenanigans

For a playoff game, the evening was surprisingly devoid of extra-curricular activities. However, in this kerfluffle by Holtby’s home-away-from-home, Alex Ovechkin held off two Hurricanes by himself, which was quite entertaining.

HUGS!

The “Nicklas Bäckström’s Happiness” Hug

Bäckström has been publicly, unabashedly, gloriously happy since the Capitals won the Cup last year. It’s still disconcerting and vaguely disquieting to see.